Miller goes from sublime to part-time due to injury

After spending the previous two weeks refusing to use the injury as an excuse, Miller on Wednesday acknowledged the problems it has caused.“I’m coming off the ball playing on the defensive line,” he said. “The first thing you strike is your hand. I still feel like I can get it done; it’s just that there’s a lot more thinking involved in how I place it.”

“Like other young players, he makes mistakes,” Coach John Fox said. “Von played two-thirds of the game. He’s doing fine; we have others who can play, too.”

Miller handled the de-emphasis without complaint. “I don’t think it’s a re-proving or anything like that,” he said. “They know what type of player I am and know what type of player I can be. Unfortunately, I haven’t been the same-type player. I don’t like to make excuses; I still feel like I can go out there and make those plays, but we’ve got to do what’s best for the team.”

Von Miller is playing through an injury and putting the team first. A fair number of high-profile rookies would be bitching and complaining.

My Dad mentioned how Dawkins is sort of the "field general" for the Denver defense, in that he can pick up on what opposing offenses are planning to do and what adjustments they might make, then signal to the rest of the players.

That's along the lines of what Troy Polamalu does for the Steelers and explains why the Steeler defense isn't quite as good without him on the field. And it does explain why Dawkins is so important to Denver's D and why finding a veteran safety who can fill that role is something the team really needs, IMO.Posted by Bob on 2012-01-05 16:05:11

As limited as Dawkins may be in coverage, I did not realize we had that poor of a record without him.Gosh it would be nice to have him in his prime.Posted by nightshifte on 2012-01-05 03:38:04

While I've contended that Dawkins is the defensive side MVP, that may say more about his backups than it does about Dawkins - great as he may be.Posted by SteveS on 2012-01-05 01:51:20

OOYE,

I had the same sensation when I read that.Posted by TJ Johnson on 2012-01-05 01:12:09